audition process. Considered a pioneer of North American taiko, she is recognized in the international taiko community for her distinctive performance and teaching style that combine movement, dance, drumming, fluidity, joy, and energy. Collaborations and awards Collaborations PJ has participated in notable San Jose Taiko collaborations such as - George Coates Performance Works, American Conservatory Theater, Asian American Jazz Orchestra, San Jose Repertory Theater, Brenda Wong Aoki, Zakir Hussain, Kagemusha Taiko and Kodo. As a solo artist, she has performed with Hiroshima, David Benoit, San Jose Symphony, San Francisco Symphone, Ondekoza, Margaret Wingrove Dance Company, and Teatre Yugen. Awards PJ is a recipient of the Pacific Asian Women's "Woman Warrior Award" in the Arts (1987), the "Women's Fund Award in the Arts" (1990) in Santa Clara County, and the Silicon Valley Arts and Business Awards' "Arts Leadership Award" (2010). For her activism she has received the Asian Americans for Community Involvement's "Arts Community Star Award" (2003), the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific American Democratic Club's "Community Activist Award"(2005), and the Japanese American Citizens' League's "Community Recognition Award"(2007). She holds other various awards pertaining to her artistry and her preservation work in San Jose Japantown, including the prestigious National Heritage Fellowship (2011) from the National Endowment for the Arts. Works Compositions Hachijo/Noto (Co-written with Roy Hirabayashi) 1987 Miyoshi no Ki (Co-written with Roy Hirabayashi) 1987 Bamboo Drums (Co-written with Roy Hirabayashi) 1990 Celebration (Co-written with Roy Hirabayashi) 1992 Ei Ja Nai Ka? 1994 Matsuri Gensokyoku (Co-written with Yumi Ishihara, Anna Lin & Jeremy Nishihara) 1995 Fukai Tokoro Kara 1995 Do-Kan 2001 Tottemo Yoi (Co-written with Yumi Ishihara) 2002 Ichigo Ichie (Co-written with Nobuko Miyamoto & Yoko Fujimoto) 2003 Moving in Time (Co-written with Roy Hirabayashi) 2004 Recordings San Jose Taiko Group, Bamboo Brew Productions 1978 San Jose Taiko "15th Anniversary Concert", Sokai Audio 1988 San Jose Taiko, "Insight Through Sound", Sokai Audio 1991 San Jose Taiko, "Kodama, Echoes of the Soul", SJT 1993 San Jose Taiko, "Moichi Do - One More Time", SJT/Sokai Audio 1996 Anthony Brown, "Family", Asian Improv 1996 Asian American Jazz Orchestra, "Big Bands Behind Barbed Wire", Asian Improv 1998 Mark Izu, "Last Dance", Asian Improv 1998 "Rhythm Journey", San Jose Taiko 2005 The Triangle Project: "Journey of the Dandelion", Bindu Records 2005 "3-Decades", San Jose Taiko (DVD) 2008 References Further reading Rindfleisch, Jan. (2017) with articles by Maribel Alvarez and Raj Jayadev, edited by Nancy Hom and Ann